Designing Leaders Program

As a student who is about to start a career as an engineer or technologist, you need to find a way to stand out to potential employers. A recent survey of US companies showed that leadership is considered a key characteristic that they are looking for with future hires. The Designing Leaders Program is an educational experience developed by the UL Lafayette College of Engineering to provide you, its students, an opportunity to develop stronger leadership skills.

Program Description

The Designing Leaders program is a lecture series held every spring semester. Sessions include speakers who are carefully selected for their prestigious positions and involvement in the community and industry to provide you critical leadership knowledge. Past speakers have included presidents, CEO’s, and owners of large and small businesses. Politicians, published authors, state officials, inventors, and many more have also participated.

Program Content

Participants will take part in discussions related to presentations given by experts regarding a wide variety of skills commonly associated with successful leaders. Participants will also learn about contracts, budgeting, writing proposals, public speaking, and much more.  The 2024 class of designing leaders will meet on the following dates:

Requirements for Participation

All participants must be selected to participate:

Apply to be considered for selection. The Designing Leaders program has selective membership for no more than 40 participants who are selected by a special committee.

Graduate students may apply at any time. Interested undergraduate students should apply at the end of the Fall semester of their senior or junior year. Sophomore applications are processed as low priority. Freshman may not apply.

Please note: All Systems Engineering PhD students are required to complete the program before graduation. You must apply, meet all the requirements and be selected to attend. 

All participants must be in good standing with the University:

Maintain a minimum of a 2.75 cumulative GPA with at least 60 hours of undergraduate coursework and not be on any academic probation, disciplinary probation or deferred suspension with the University.

All participants must be a current UL Lafayette Engineering students:

Must be a current student majoring in Engineering Technology or Chemical, Civil, Electrical & Computer, Mechanical, or Petroleum Engineering.

Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply.

All participants must adhere to the attendance policy:

Attendance Policy: Commit to attending to all sessions, including a make-up session if necessary. Attendance is mandatory. Each session is held from 6 pm - 9 pm on a Tuesday night during the Spring Semester.

Attendance at each session is mandatory and no more than one session may be missed. An absence should be reserved for an emergency or illness only. A second absence will result in removal from the program. Please note: There are no exceptions to this rule. If one of the scheduled sessions is canceled because of unforeseen circumstances, a mandatory make-up session for the cancelled session will be held to take its place.

Designing Leaders Application Process

Interested students should apply here

Online applications only

• Send all questions to Engineering@louisiana.edu
• All applications are due on or before Friday, January 12, 2024
• Notification of selection or denial will be sent by email after the application period is closed.

Student Recognition

All graduates of the program will be recognized by name and given a stole to commemorate participation at their commencement ceremony.